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ALE agents seize 929 gallons of moonshine Wilkesboro, N.C. — State Alcohol Law Enforcement agents seized 929 gallons of moonshine Wednesday and arrested a Wilkesboro man, authorities said Friday. Roger Lee Nance, of 1117 Shew Ridge Mission Road, was charged with possession of non-tax paid liquor, possession of non-tax-paid liquor for the purpose of selling, and possession of equipment and ingredients intended for the use in the manufacture of an alcoholic beverage. “This is one of the biggest seizures of white liquor I’ve seen come out of the mountains in my career,” ALE Director John Ledford said in statement. The...

Note: The following text is a quote: Home » Briefing Room » Justice News Deputy Attorney General David W. Ogden Speaks at Project Gunrunner Press Conference HOUSTON ~ Thursday, October 1, 2009 Good morning. I am happy to be here today with ATF Acting Director Melson and our partners in state and local law enforcement to highlight the real successes of Project Gunrunner and announce our plans to build upon those accomplishments. This administration and this Justice Department have made protecting the integrity of our Southwest Border a top priority. That means stemming the tide of illegal drugs and illegal...

RIO GRANDE VALLEY - Federal agents are disrupting cross-border gun smuggling, and they're focusing on the Valley. After a four month intense effort to stop gun smuggling, ATF agents are pinpointing the smugglers and tips are leading them to our border. 100 agents with the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms sifted through leads and after a four month special operation, they identified gun smugglers working for the gulf cartel. Armando Salas, Assistant Special Agent in Charge says, "Our goal is to try and disrupt the firearm and trafficking infrastructure both on the Mexican side and on the U.S. side."...

A Montana lawsuit filed on Thursday challenges federal authority to regulate guns manufactured and sold within the state, an argument that would effectively invalidate federal firearm laws in Big Sky Country if adopted by the courts. The lawsuit arose out of a state law signed by Democratic Gov. Brian Schweitzer that took effect on October 1. It says that firearms, ammunition, and accessories manufactured entirely inside Montana are not subject to federal regulation, including background checks for buyers and record-keeping requirements for sellers. They would remain subject to state regulation, and machine gun manufacturing is not permitted. This is part...

The question of whether or not gun registration violates the Second Amendment may be settled by the courts in the future. But the recent use of prosecutorial discretion to prosecute a Utah man for an innocent and non-material mistake on gun dealer transfer forms demonstrates the danger of decentralized gun registration by way of ATF Form 4473, especially since the court of appeals in this case affirmed the trial court's dismissal of the charge only because "an alien registration number is not 'information required for a background check' as contemplated by Utah Code section 76-10-526(4)(b)." State v. Kidus Chane Yohannes,...

NASHVILLE - The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives has told Tennessee gun dealers to disregard a state statute that exempts firearms made and sold inside Tennessee from federal gun laws and registration. The ATF says the federal laws still apply regardless of the state's move. The Tennessee legislature considered and approved several bills this year to reduce restrictions on firearms, including one bill that its sponsors labeled the "Tennessee Firearms Freedom Act." It passed overwhelmingly, the House 87-1 and the Senate 22-7, despite warnings by some lawmakers that it could subject Tennessee citizens to federal prosecution and...

On Monday, we asked if the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives could be reformed, citing companion bills in the Senate and House backed by the National Rifle Association that promise to roll back certain restrictions and moderate penalties for minor violations. Yesterday, we examined a campaign created by Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Their bottom line: "Boot the BATFE." No doubt many will consider this an unrealistic goal, and deem the likelihood of generating enough support to make it happen remote without revolutionary changes from the way government exerts control now. That doesn't mean it shouldn't...

Mike Daugherty asked his 11-year-old son Logan what he wanted for his birthday. The boy said, "I want a cannon." Dad didn't scoff at Logan's request by saying, "How about a hippopotamus instead," as a Christmas song from another era lamented. No, Daugherty is not that kind of guy. He granted his son's wish and built him a Civil War-era cannon not a model, the real deal. The howitzer fires and rivals anything seen at Civil War reenactments across the country. He said it took him about two weeks to build and is worth about $6,000. "It looks like something...

A vintage airplane collector said Tuesday that government agents have impounded his rare 1952 military aircraft he imported from France last fall and are threatening to destroy the plane because of a missed step in bringing it into the country. Also see http://www.savetheskyraider.com/site/The_Details.html

Previously, we examined how the Brady Campaign misused the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) data to manufacture conclusions that the ATF itself says are false. But Brady’s report contains additional errors and hides important truths. Let’s examine the following statement: Georgia led the states with the highest total number of crime gun exports, not adjusted for population. Florida had the second highest total number of crime gun exports, followed by Virginia, Texas and Indiana. All five states have weak gun laws making it easy for criminals to get firearms, scoring fewer than 20 out of 100 on...

The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, America’s preeminent gun control organization, recently issued a report suggesting that states with “weak gun laws” are the nation’s major sources of “crime guns.” But as with other Brady reports, a deeper examination is in order before accepting their conclusions. Curious turnaround Earlier this year, the Brady Campaign claimed that the Tiahrt Amendment restricted law enforcement from accessing ATF trace data: The so-called Tiahrt Amendment (named after Congressman Todd Tiahrt of Kansas) includes several riders attached annually to Justice Department appropriations legislation since 2004 that make it harder for law enforcement to prevent...

A man, who was one of four people arrested in connection with having an arsenal of dangerous weapons hidden inside a Poinciana home, said the weapons were just a hobby. The four suspects in the case face some very serious charges. The incident started with a discovery made behind a medicine cabinet and a secret compartment full of weapons. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms (ATF) will help Osceola deputies determine what laws may have been broken. Jett Cramer, his fiancée Gayle Justice, and their friend and roommate William Scott Clark all made appearances on drug-related charges before an Osceola...

Militia groups with gripes against the government are regrouping across the country and could grow rapidly, according to an organization that tracks such trends. The stress of a poor economy and a liberal administration led by a black president are among the causes for the recent rise, the report from the Southern Poverty Law Center says. Conspiracy theories about a secret Mexican plan to reclaim the Southwest are also growing amid the public debate about illegal immigration. Bart McEntire, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told SPLC researchers that this is the most growth...

Bad Economy, Obama Fuel Rise in Militias: Report Fears of a return to anti-government violence of the 1990s Updated 2:15 AM CDT, Wed, Aug 12, 2009 The election of America's first black president, fears of a secret Mexican plot to take over the Southwest and a painful recession have combined to fuel a rise in violent right-wing militias, according to a report by the Southern Poverty Law Center. The leading civil rights group is not the only one worried that the country could be on the verge of another domestic terror attack by a lone wolf hatemonger or radical militia...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Militia groups with gripes against the government are regrouping across the country and could grow rapidly, according to an organization that tracks such trends. The stress of a poor economy and a liberal administration led by a black president are among the causes for the recent rise, the report from the Southern Poverty Law Center says. Conspiracy theories about a secret Mexican plan to reclaim the Southwest are also growing amid the public debate about illegal immigration. Bart McEntire, a special agent with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, told SPLC researchers that this is...

It was a scenario U.S. law enforcement had long feared: A fragmentation grenade from Mexico's bloody drug war tossed into a public place. Only the grenade thrower's bumbling prevented bloodshed in a south Texas bar.....But the act was proof that one of the deadliest weapons in Mexico's drug battle is a real threat to the U.S..... While Mexican drug violence has been spilling across the border in the form of kidnappings and killings, grenades are a particular worry because they can kill large numbers of people indiscriminately, and a weapon of choice among Mexican cartel members. In Mexico, .... three...

Eric Holder's Justice Department includes the ATF within its bounds. I have been experiencing a severe delay in processing a Form 4 and wonder if fellow FReepers are also seeing an undocumented change in policy for handling the purchase of NFA Class III items? Anyone care to guess if Eric Holder is throttling down the vetting process?

The several states are lining up to reclaim their sovereignty and telling the federal government to butt out. This is being done in myriad ways but all are related in that most claim that the Tenth Amendment protects the states from federal tyranny. States are passing resolutions, memorials and two states have passed laws and they intend to apply those laws for their citizens. The two states are Montana and Tennessee. It was expected that at some point these laws would be challenged and it appears actions to do such has begun. The Federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and...

The Obama administration is raising the stakes in a fight over states' rights and firearm ownership by arguing that new pro-gun laws in Montana and Tennessee are invalid. In the last few months, a grass-roots, federalist revolt against Washington, D.C. has begun to spread through states that are home to politically active gun owners. Montana and Tennessee have enacted state laws saying that federal rules do not apply to firearms manufactured entirely within the state, and similar bills are pending in Texas, Alaska, Minnesota, and South Carolina. Yet the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, and Explosives now claims that...

Obama's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives is claiming constitutional supremacy to kill the 10th Amendment-driven state statutes to exempt in-state firearms from federal regulations. Their mode? Reminding gun dealers of their federal obligations.

On Friday, we saw the letter ATF sent to FFL dealers in Tennessee telling them the Bureau was overriding the state's Firearms Freedom Act, and would continue to impose federal requirements in disregard of state law.

A line was drawn in the sand last week - a response by the Federal Government to the State of Tennessee and their assertion of sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Part of a series of moves by states seeking to utilize the Tenth Amendment as a limit on Federal Power, the Tennessee State Senate approved Senate Bill 1610 (SB1610), the Tennesse Firearms Freedom Act, by a vote of 22-7. The House companion bill, HB1796 previously passed the House by a vote of 87-1. Governor Breseden allowed the bill to become law without signing. The law states...

A line was drawn in the sand last week - a response by the Federal Government to the State of Tennessee and their assertion of sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment to the US Constitution. Part of a series of moves by states seeking to utilize the Tenth Amendment as a limit on Federal Power, the Tennessee State Senate approved Senate Bill 1610, the Tennesse Firearms Freedom Act, by a vote of 22-7. It previously passed the House by a vote of 87-1. The law states that “federal laws and regulations do not apply to personal firearms, firearm accessories, or ammunition...

As taxes on cigarettes have climbed in some jurisdictions, the shipping of untaxed smokes has become big business, authorities say. For example, New York City slaps $1.50 onto the state's $2.75 cigarette tax, and in Fairfax County the state and local tax combined is 80 cents. Meanwhile, Chinese counterfeiters have seized the opportunity for profit and have been flooding the market with hundreds of millions of fake cigarettes, according to U.S. Customs estimates.

- Cosponsor List Crosses 100 in This Congress - WASHINGTON, D.C. – Hailing a major milestone in the effort to protect law-abiding gun dealers from excessive and overzealous actions on the part of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (BATFE), Congressman Zack Space (OH-18) today announced that his BATFE reform legislation has gained the support of over 100 Members of Congress. While the size of a cosponsorship list does not guarantee a vote on the bill, gaining 100 bipartisan cosponsors shows widespread support and momentum.“My colleagues are waking up to the assault on the Second Amendment being perpetrated by...

~ EXCERPT ~ In front of a run-down shack in north Houston, federal agents step from a government sedan into 102-degree heat and face a critical question: How can the woman living here buy four high-end handguns in one day? The house is worth $35,000. A screen dangles by a wall-unit air conditioner. Porch swing slats are smashed, the smattering of grass is flattened by cars and burned yellow by sun. >>> snip <<< Among other things, the agents are combing neighborhoods and asking people about suspicious purchases as well as seeking explanations as to how their guns ended up...

In front of a run-down shack in north Houston, federal agents step from a government sedan into 102-degree heat and face a critical question: How can the woman living here buy four high-end handguns in one day? The house is worth $35,000. A screen dangles by a wall-unit air conditioner. Porch swing slats are smashed, the smattering of grass is flattened by cars and burned yellow by sun. “I’ll do the talking on this one,” agent Tim Sloan, of South Carolina, told partner Brian Tumiel, of New York. Success on the front lines of a government blitz on gunrunners supplying...

Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) agents arrested two suspected white supremacists Thursday after a raid at a northern Illinois home, during which agents seized assault weapons, hundreds of rounds of ammunition and purportedly racist materials. Twin brothers Dennis and Daniel Mahon, 59, were taken into custody by agents on firearms violations after arrest and search warrants were served at the Davis Junction, Ill., home. Dennis Mahon was frequently mentioned as a possible suspect but never charged in connection with the April 19, 1995, bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City that killed 168...

Do you mind answering a few questions...? As we found out yesterday, NRA has issued a statement on the GAO Mexican "crime gun" trafficking report. Their bottom line: For American gun owners, the battle will be to make sure that politicians who see an opportunity to advance their gun ban agenda do not use Mexico as an excuse to sacrifice our Second Amendment rights. True enough. But it was the second link in this morning's email from their Institute for Legislative Action that really grinds my gears: "In Border States, BATFE Asks: 'May We See Your Guns?'" NRA-ILA has recently...

This year marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s start of the war on drugs, and it now appears that drugs have won.

Feds: Gun Smugglers Keep Cartels Heavily Armed An all-out war is raging in Mexico, and it is major news on both sides of the border. In 2008, 6,000 Mexicans were killed in gang warfare. In the first two months of 2009, more than a thousand people were gunned down in Mexico as the government intensifies it's war to bring down the narcotrafficking cartels. Mexican police officers are out-gunned by the firepower cartel gangsters are wielding, and bodies turn up tortured to death on the streets of Juarez and Tijuana on a regular basis. In the most gruesome new terror tactic...

Print this page May 7, 2009 Unnecessary Firearms Restrictions Would Be Rolled Back With King Legislation Congressman Introduces Bill to Correct Errors in Federal Firearms Laws, Regulations Congressman Steve King, a member of the House Judiciary Committee, today introduced H.R. 2296, the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2009.� King’s legislation would roll back unnecessary restrictions and correct errors in federal firearms laws and regulations. The bi-partisan bill is a vital step to modernize and improve Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives operations. The legislation completely rewrites the system of administrative...

·11250 Waples Mill Road ·   Fairfax, Virginia 22030    ·800-392-8683   BATFE Reform Bill Introduced In U.S. Senate   Friday, May 01, 2009   Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho) and Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced S. 941 --  the "Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act" -- on April 30.  Senator Leahy is chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, to which S. 941 has been referred. S. 941 represents the first time such BATFE Reform legislation has been introduced in the Senate.  However, the House passed similar legislation (H.R. 5092) in the 109th Congress by a 277-131 vote.  A majority...

OAKLAND - A grand jury today voted to indict Yusuf Ali Bey IV, the scion of the defunct Your Black Muslim Bakery, for ordering the killings of journalist Chauncey Bailey and two other men in 2007, authorities familiar with the situation said. Prosecutors are likely to bring the case with special circumstances - allowing them to seek the death penalty against Bey IV, 23. He allegedly told two of his followers that in exchange for killing Bailey, he would teach them how to file fraudulent loan applications that could reap hundreds of thousands of dollars. Another man, Antoine Arelus Mackey,...

On Saturday, we examined ATF's NFA Branch--specifically why their then-chief said in a roll call training session: "Let me say that when we testify in court, we testify that the data base is 100 percent accurate. That's what we testify to, and we will always testify to that. As you probably well know, that may not be 100 percent true." Now their Firearms Technology Branch comes under scrutiny. What do they do? Let's let them tell you. Per their own procedures: "They examine and classify firearms and ammunition. They provide examination and testing of evidence." In other words, what they...

Grand jury indicts London physician on grenade charge BY LINDA SATTER ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE Dr. Randeep Mann of Pope County was formally indicted Wednesday by a federal grand jury in Little Rock on a single charge of possessing 98 unregistered grenades. Last month, Mann, 50, was arrested by federal agents after Pope County sheriff’s deputies responded to a call from public works employees for the city of London who had stumbled upon a partially buried plastic bag in a wooded area. Inside the bag, buried 875 feet from Mann’s home, was a military canister containing the explosives, which were designed to...

Associated Press HELENA – Montana-made guns may form the basis for a court showdown over states' rights if the governor signs a bill to release some firearms in the state from federal regulation. The proposed law aims to exempt firearms, weapons components and ammunition made in Montana and kept in Montana from federal gun laws. Since the state has few gun laws of its own, the legislation would allow some gunowners and sellers in the state to skirt registration, licensing requirements and background checks entirely...

VICTORIA, Texas - Eddy V. Pleasant, 52, of Sheridan, Texas, a former firearms dealer, has been ordered to surrender to a federal correctional institute to begin serving a prison sentence for making false statements during the purchase of firearms, acting United States Attorney Tim Johnson announced today. United States District Judge John D. Rainey entered the order on March 31, 2009. Pleasant has been ordered to report to Federal Correctional Institute - El Reno - by April 21, 2009. Pleasant was sentenced on Feb. 17 to 18 months in federal prison to be followed by a three year term of...

Associated Press Federal officials and members of a special border crime detail are busy looking for powerful weapons that could fall into the hands of dangerous drug cartels operating in Mexico. --snip-- Of the more than 7,700 weapons recovered from those crimes, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives traced 90 percent back to the U.S.

Soldier of Fortune's Col. Robert K. Brown, on "The Awakening with Hanen and Arlen"Monday, 3/30, 9pm ET,,,6pm PT To Listen Click HereTopics include: - SoF's exposé of $4M in unlawful perks to ATF personnel in Iraq - The assult upon the 2nd Amendment, out of occupied D.C. - The Marxofascist innsurgency against America Jack Marino, our guest for the second segment, has produced a new movie, "Forgotten Heroes," about Vietnam vets who go back, to save a Russian officer.We should also be joined again by James Simpson, author of the "Manufactured Crisis" articles, who as OMB accountant, formerly managed...

A source with firearms industry connections sent me the following ATF Open Letter. My source has always been credible in the past, but I always try to get corroboration. I have attempted to get clarification directly from ATF with no response, so I am attempting to verify it independently. Perhaps you can help. Here is what I sent ATF: (The image of the letter did not make it to this post.) And here is the letter: OPEN LETTER TO FEDERAL FIREARMS LICENSEES REGARDING ATF’S FORWARD TRACE INITIATIVE I would like to take this opportunity to describe the Bureau of Alcohol,...

Yet again, a Saturday Wall Street Journal "Remembrances" column is filled with another interesting American personality, who isn't well known, but his story is entertaining. Apparently and sadly, Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton recently committed suicide rather than serve his second sentence in the federal pen for moonshining. I don't know about you, but this Appalachian legend producing moonshine without a license wasn't harming me, and it smacks more of big brother at work and big government over-regulating Americans literally to death than it does a crime that harmed society. There is no justice when this harmless 62-year-old hillbilly was about to...

PARROTSVILLE (WATE) -- Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, who gained fame and notoriety as a moonshiner, died Monday in Cocke County, sheriff's deputies said. According to a Cocke County Sheriff's Office spokesperson, it appeared that Sutton, 61, took his own life in his Parrotsville home.

SOF EXPOSES BATF CORRUPTION IN IRAQ Posted by SOF Editor on February 18th, 2009 3 Comments Printer-Friendly NEED A DEFINITION FOR OBAMA’S CALL FOR “RESPONSIBILITY�Amid the orderly transfer of power, our new Chief Executive has issued a call for responsibility. As is the case with most of his public statements, his meaning is not clear. However, if he means holding government officials accountable for their actions, a novel and great idea, it is something that we can all embrace. It is particularly true of those officials within agencies with a long and well documented history of abuses of entrusted...

Recently, there has been a series of armed thefts of explosives from storage sites in Mexico along the southwest U.S. border. The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) would like to remind all Federal explosives licensees and permittees of the importance of security at their explosives storage sites, and we advise all industry members to take heightened security precautions in light of these thefts. This advisory is a precaution and not due to any criminal intelligence. Additionally, ATF partners with the explosives industry to protect the public and as part of this ongoing effort, industry members are commended...

I believe it is long past time to end the War on Drugs. That’s not because I approve of drug use or have any desire to encourage it. But this particular war has already gone on longer than the ones in Korea, Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq, put together, with no end in sight and far less to show for it. I would not only decriminalize drug use, I would give it the same legal status as tobacco and alcohol, and with the same age restrictions. For one thing, this would provide a great source of new tax revenue. Also, it...

Acting United States Attorney Lawrence G. Brown and Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms Agent-in-Charge Stephen C. Herkins announced that United States District Judge Morrison C. England Jr. sentenced Ricardo Madrigal, 28, of Stockton, Calif., to four years and eight months in federal prison for dealing firearms without a license, interstate travel to acquire firearms to deal without a license, transporting firearms interstate in furtherance of unlicensed firearms dealings, and possession of an unregistered machine gun. He pleaded guilty on August 7, 2008. This case is the product of an investigation by the United States Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and...

BATFE arrests not a person, but a gun part. That's right folks, the stupidity has reached a new level. BATFE has arrested a belt fed upper for a MAC 10. Len Savage, a licensed firearms manufacturer, registered an upper as an SBR and submitted it lawfully to BATFE for confirmation. BATFE attempted to have Mr. Savage modify his submission (illegally) to register the item as a machinegun. He of course refused. BATFE has now arrested the upper after using a metal plate, a chain and wire ties (conversion devices) to make it fire. This move by BATFE is the same...

Sun Photo by Phil Gentry Moonshiner Marvin "Popcorn" Sutton, at right, leaves U.S. District Court after sentencing with Assistant Federal Defender Tim Moore, at left. Published: 3:50 PM, 01/26/2009 Last updated: 4:35 PM, 01/26/2009 Source: The Greeneville Sun By BILL JONES Staff Writer Legendary Cocke County moonshiner Marvin “Popcorn” Sutton, 62, of 324 Upper Road, Parrottsville, was sentenced in U.S. District Court in Greeneville Monday to 18 months in federal prison. Sutton had waived indictment and pleaded guilty in April 2008 to a two-count federal information that charged him with: • possessing a .380-caliber semi-automatic pistol and a .38-caliber revolver...

A proposed new ordinance that would allow Iowa City police to breath-test wait staff and entertainers at bars and restaurants could put bar owners at risk for fines and lost liquor licenses.... In the proposal, an employee could be fined the $500 maximum for having a blood-alcohol concentration of .02 or higher. "It's probably going to pass," Councilor Mike O'Donnell said. "The thought is that if you're not intoxicated, you can be more accurate when checking IDs and keeping people safe in the bar."